Hollow Knight’s Lifeblood Update is live

Update, April 21: The Lifeblood Update is now live, adding a new boss, custom map markers, and more to the already-good Metroidvania. Team Cherry have posted a full list of additions and updates, and here they are:

A brand new boss with a new music track by Chris Larkin!

One boss has been seriously upgraded. A true challenge awaits!

Custom Map Markers are here! Cartographers rejoice!

Extras added to the Extras menu!

Numerous game balances and tweaks.

Now playable in Japanese.

Various bug fixes.

Additional sound effects and voices.

Optimisations and performance enhancements.

Players who own Hollow Knight on Steam and GOG should have automatically downloaded the update. DRM-free users will be able to download the update via GOG or Humble link.

Original story, March 25:In the process of porting Hollow Knight to the Switch, Team Cherry say they couldn’t resist the urge to add to their now year-old game. The Lifeblood Update will officially launch once they’ve done some more tweaking, but it’s available to try out in beta on PC right now.

The Lifeblood Update contains the usual bug (heh) fixes and optimisation improvements, but it’s also adding a couple new features – notably map markers to help navigate the game’s Metroid-inspired underworld, and a brand new boss.

Team Cherry say they’ve also beefed up one of the game’s existing bosses, but they’re playing coy about which one.

To opt into the beta, just right click on Hollow Knight’s entry in your Steam library and select properties. Click on the Betas tab, and then pick “public-beta-” from the dropdown menu. The update should start automatically.